“I was having a shindig with my family that night. I felt as if I could have gone home the next day.

“I did feel a bit of apprehension, but Dr Walker was so confident.

“I have noticed the difference already. Before, I got breathless just getting out of bed.”

Dr Walker subsequently carried out the procedure on two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, Glasgow. Both of them are also recovering well.

The successful use of the procedure in Scotland raises the prospect of substantial benefits for patients and for the NHS.

Transcatheter valve replacement is far less invasive than conventional heart surgery and avoids attendant risks such as unexpectedly heavy bleeding and the onset of post-operative infections. It also reduces the costs to the NHS by cutting the length of time patients spend recovering in hospital.

The procedure has been carried out in as little as 54 minutes.

The prosthetic valve consists of bovine vein tissue sewn into a stent that is advanced into the beating heart via a catheter introduced into the groin vein.

The valve is folded up for transportation to the heart and is moved to the correct position using an inflatable balloon. The defective old heart valve is pressed against the vessel wall and left there.

The procedure, developed by Professor Philipp Bonhoeffer at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, was first carried out in 2000.

Mr Donnelly was diagnosed with aortic stenosis at the age of 18. The congenital condition, where the aortic valve does not open fully, decreases blood flow from the heart.

He has undergone more conventional operations in the past, but became unwell again 13 years ago when his health began to deteriorate and he was forced to give up his beloved golf because of his breathlessness.

The procedure was first mentioned to him in 2003, but he had to wait until funding became available and Dr Walker trained in the procedure at Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

The Golden Jubilee expects to carry out 10 of the procedures a year.

Dr Walker said: “The veins that connect from the leg up into the heart are actually in a relatively straight line.

“That allows you to pass a catheter with a wire that acts like a railroad through which you can pass balloons, or the valve itself.

“There’s an inner balloon and an outer balloon that lets you mould it into the optimum position within the heart and as you deflate the balloon, the valve starts working.”